1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

Defund ICE now. Hold government funding hostage to do it. That is the job. That is the leverage. And that is what millions of Democratic voters elected you to do. Democratic voters are exhausted by being told that we must apply pressure to Republicans while Democratic leadership refuses to apply pressure where it actually matters inside Congress, using the only tool that has ever forced change: funding. Time and again, we are asked to make calls, knock doors, organize protests, and “be patient,” while elected officials retreat to cable news studios and donor meetings and insist that bold action is somehow irresponsible. It is not irresponsible to govern. It is irresponsible to refuse to. The constant deflection—that voters must do more while elected officials do less—is an abdication of duty. You were not elected to outsource courage to your constituents. You were elected to wield power. If that power is not being used to stop the ongoing violence and abuse carried out by ICE, then it is being deliberately withheld. It is especially galling to hear lectures about pragmatism while Democratic politicians continue to court and sit comfortably with billionaires like Bill Ackman—a donor who is also funding ICE. Voters are told there is “no leverage,” while moneyed interests enjoy direct access and influence. This contradiction is impossible to ignore and impossible to justify. Democratic voters are not asking for symbolism. We are demanding action. Defund ICE. Use the budget. Stop protecting a system that brutalizes people while asking us to believe incrementalism will somehow save lives. Do not tell us to apply pressure elsewhere. You are where the pressure belongs.